


Come For The Wedding, Stay For The Turtles

by AsagiStilinski



Series: Yuri!!! Down Under [8]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Australia, Anxiety, Anxious Katsuki Yuuri, Character's Name Spelled as Viktor, Character's Name Spelled as Yuri, Established Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov, Established Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Humor, M/M, Veterinarian Victor Nikiforov, Wedding Fluff, Weddings, Wildlife Educator Katsuki Yuuri
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-01
Updated: 2020-05-01
Packaged: 2021-03-01 16:47:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23940301
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AsagiStilinski/pseuds/AsagiStilinski
Summary: Weddings are nice and all, but in Yuri's opinion, there's something much better than a stuffy party with dancing and socializing-turtles
Relationships: Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov, Mila Babicheva/Sara Crispino
Series: Yuri!!! Down Under [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1638880
Comments: 2
Kudos: 36





	Come For The Wedding, Stay For The Turtles

**Author's Note:**

> Another installment of the Aussie!Yuri series!! To learn more about the Aussie Yuri verse, with art, headcanons, and more, please visit our Tumblr!! https://madaliceproductions.tumblr.com/

"This wedding is a beaut." Yuri's lips ticked upwards, a quiet laugh making its way out of his throat as he stared at the slightly embarrassed look on Viktor's face. "W-What? Did I not say it correctly?"

"No, you did. It just sounds kinda funny coming from you, that's all. Although, I guess now I know how most Aussies felt when I started saying it as a kid." In Yuri's opinion, there was nothing cuter than Viktor trying to adapt to Australian culture—language and all.

Words like "beaut" and "Oz" coming from his thick Russian accent was always more amusing than it probably should be, and Yuri greatly appreciated the effort.

"Was your accent very Japanese before?" Viktor asked curiously.

"Oh yeah. 'Fore I got really fluent. Mari's is still a little closer to that than mine since she’d already been learning English for a while before we moved. I'd only just started, so the only English I ever spoke fluently was Oz-English."

"And that's why your Australian accent is thicker than anyone else's in your family?" 

"Yep." Yuri nodded, turning away from the conversation momentarily as he watched Mila and Sara feed each other pieces of cake. "The wedding really is a beaut," he mused softly.

"They seem like a great couple," Viktor agreed.

He didn't actually know either of the brides very well himself, only having met them a handful of times at the zoo, but they seemed good together. The way they always talked about each other, and the one time they both happened to be together and paid a visit during one of Yuri's filming segments, made Viktor feel like they were as thoroughly in love as he was with Yuri.

"They are. I'm really glad they were able to get married, ya' know? I.... spent a while thinking I'd never be lucky enough to live somewhere where I could marry whoever I wanted."

"Really?" Viktor asked in surprise. "I thought Australia had allowed gay marriage for awhile."

"Nah, just since 2017."

No wonder Viktor didn't remember, then. That was at the heart of his career. He worked himself so hard that year, most of the world events passed him by without him noticing. His focus was so caught up in animals and medicine, he couldn't even remember if he'd turned on the news at all back then.

"That... that's so recent... I don't know why I thought it was further back."

"Time moves in weird ways. Stuff gets away from ya'." Yuri shrugged and peered over his shoulder at the happy couple again, smiling. 

"Do you think about it often? Marriage?"

"Used to." Yuri nodded. "I used to worry about it a lot. I've known I was bi since I was just a kid. It used to drive me crazy that there was a huge chance I wouldn't be able to marry who I fell in love with, in either of the countries I've called home. After the bill passed, though, that eased a lot, and now when I think about getting married..." He paused suddenly, turning bright red and biting his lip.

Viktor suspected it was because he didn't want to sound like he _expected_ to get married. Smiling lightly, Viktor took his hand and squeezed, successfully drawing Yuri's attention back to him.

"I used to worry about it a lot, too. Being gay in Russia... it wasn't easy. But ofcourse, when I moved and started traveling so much, it became a distant concern. I just assumed I would settle down wherever my partner wanted. There are plenty of countries that I would like to live in where I reasonably could, and veterinary work is something that's very moveable. But... for the record, I'm quite glad I ended up here." Leaning forward, Viktor gave Yuri a light kiss and watched with amusement as Yuri’s face turned an even brighter shade of red.

"You sure about that, love? Even with the brushfires? And the fact that every animal here can kill you? And that you'll be hard-pressed to find a Starbucks here?"

That made Viktor laugh. "Darling, you have the most beautiful country with the most amazing animals and the nicest people who have the _cutest_ accents. And one person in particular, who I love more than I can find words for. I think I can live with the natural disasters, a few venomous snakes, and having to get my lattes local," Viktor teased.

"We don't have Taco Bell, either," Yuri pointed out, barely able to stop himself from laughing as Viktor's face suddenly went serious.

"You're right. That changes everything. I want to leave in the morning."

Viktor was delighted and relieved when Yuri laughed. He’d looked so anxious and pensive this entire evening, Viktor worried something was seriously wrong, but it seemed to just be his general anxiety catching up with him. Probably due to all the people.

Yuri didn't do well with crowds, despite his job generally tending to point towards the opposite. He really wasn't a people person, and the only things that ever kept him calm during moments like this were animals and, as of more recently, Viktor. But for obvious reasons, having animals at the wedding wasn't really possible, and evidently, Viktor could only seem to keep him _distracted_ from the anxiety right now. He was willing to bet it was because of just how much time they had already spent there. Usually, in crowded situations where Yuri didn't have a furry friend, they didn't stay more than an hour or so, unless they were on a plane. But at least then they could keep to themselves. Here though...

After the ceremony, Yuri had spent most of the evening in forced socialization. The consequence of being the only celebrity—minor or not—in a crowd, and people only left him alone once it was announced the wedding toast was about to start and that the cake would be cut right after.

Yuri seemed alright for now, though, and Viktor desperately hoped it stayed that way.

~+~

Hope could, incidentally, only get a person so far.

After everyone had their cake, the socializing started up again. Hell, it barely waited that long, as some had started stopping by Yuri's table during the cake serving.

Viktor tried to curb it the best he could but hadn't done very well, instead garnering attention for himself _in addition_ to what Yuri was going through—which helped neither of them. Viktor tended to do slightly better with people than Yuri did, but even he had a rather low limit of how much he could take before his own anxiety started to kick in.

It didn’t stop even when the couple had their first dance, but it did at least slow considerably. And now, as more people started joining the dance floor, Viktor could see Yuri go paler and paler. All of the socializing was really alot for him, but it was unlikely they would stop any time soon...

"May I have this dance?" Viktor asked suddenly, successfully catching Yuri off guard.

The brunette smiled shyly and nodded, taking Viktor's hand, allowing his boyfriend to lead him onto the dance floor. It would be harder for people to talk to them if they were dancing, after all.

"Do you dance, zolotse?" Viktor carefully took Yuri's hand in one of his own before settling the other on his partner's lower back.

"Ah, not much, no. I kinda know how since a friend of mine in Japan was a ballerina, but even that isn't ballroom dancing..."

"Nonsense, my love. Dancing is dancing," Viktor promised, kissing the top of Yuri's head as they moved.

Yuri seemed to take comfort in that, resting his head against Viktor's chest and relaxing. Viktor was relieved and thrilled that after all of the comfort Yuri constantly provided him with over their time together, he was finally able to return the favor. They worked well with each other. They fed off of each other and indulged each other. They were like yin and yang, constantly completing the other.

It sounded corny, he knew, but it was still true.

About two songs in, though, Yuri started to tense up again. Viktor wasn't sure if it was because of his anxiety acting up on its own or if Yuri saw something or someone that was making him nervous. But either way, Viktor knew they were pushing his limits.

"Come with me, zolotse. I need some air." He pulled Yuri off of the dance floor as soon as the song ended, and they vanished into the crowd. 

Yuri went along without argument, always willing to accommodate Viktor in whatever way he needed. Less so to accommodate himself, which was why Viktor felt the need for the excuse.

"I'd forgotten how long weddings are. It's been so long since I've been to one," Yuri mused as they stepped out of the reception hall, leaving the crowded space of the party behind and taking a deep breath of cool night air. 

"You're still doing better than I am. I've never been to a wedding before."

Yuri stared at Viktor incredulously. "You've _never_ been to one?"

"No, not until now." Viktor laughed, guiding Yuri carefully down the steps of the building. The bed and breakfast the reception was being hosted at had a large, beautiful outdoor landscape. He intended to take Yuri on a short moonlit walk before ultimately poking their heads back in long enough to say goodbye. "I don't really have any close friends. Never have. And my family...." Viktor paused, shrugging. "I don't have any close relatives that got married when I was still young enough to be in touch with them."

"Ah..."

Yuri had been to only two, one in Japan, barely old enough to remember his first time attending a wedding. And then he attended one a few years ago in Australia. So weddings weren't exactly common for him, either, but he assumed that by adulthood, everyone had been to at least one, even if they were kids and couldn't really remember it.

But all things considered, this _did_ make sense for Viktor.

"Did you like it, then? Aside from all the people I mean?"

"Oh, yes! It was a lovely affair. And that cake... I want to know who made it so I can get them for _our_ wedding."

_Their_ wedding. Viktor said it so casually, with so much certainty, even though they had no official agreement. It made Yuri's heart flutter. "Oh yeah? You got any flavors picked out yet, Romeo?"

"Not specifically, but I know I want something with lots of chocolate."

"Of course you do." Yuri laughed, though he suddenly came to a stop.

"Yuri?"

The brunette held a finger up to his lips, shushing his boyfriend as he stepped away. He peered between some bushes and crouched down. "Oh, Viktor, quick! Get the camera!" he whisper-shouted, beaming like a ray of sunlight.

"I don't have a camera, my love." Viktor chuckled, though he was quick to move behind Yuri and peer over his shoulder.

"Phone camera. You know what I mean."

Fair enough. Viktor hurried to pull the phone out of his pocket and unlock it, hitting the ‘record’ option immediately upon opening the camera app, as well as turning the flashlight on.

"Lookie what we've got here, love. A Snake-Necked Turtle!" Without ceremony, Yuri reached down and picked up the turtle, gently holding the little reptile up to be within the camera’s view. "This little sheila must have come out during yesterday's rain, but I don't know what she's doing all the way out here. There's no water around."

"How do you know you've got a girl there?" Viktor asked. He already knew the answer, but if they were filming this, Yuri probably intended to put it online, and questions like that would be necessary.

"Length of the tail. For most turtles, the sheilas have shorter, thinner tails, while the blokes've got thicker, longer tails. Actually, love, could you give 'er a look for me? Make sure she's not hurt?"

"Sure." Carefully, they made the exchange, Yuri taking the phone while Viktor took the turtle for a quick once-over. 

"What a great way to spend a wedding. Come out for a bit of air, and find this lovely beaut. As long as she's not hurt, we can head over to the river and get her on back in the water where she'll be safe and free to live her lovely lil' turtle life."

"She seems fine to me." Viktor shrugged, though his eyebrows rose as Yuri started shrugging his jacket off. 

"Ah, beaut. Here, love. I'm gonna wrap 'er up in this so she'll be all comfy on the ride. Maybe tomorrow in the arvo, we can go up to the river and do a proper bit about these little guys."

"Sure, I'm up for it," Viktor agreed, mentally adding on that they would be stopping by a dry cleaner's first. Yuri's jacket was no doubt going to need it after this.

"Great. Then let's go give Mila and Sara a quick goodbye and head on. It's a bit of a drive, but the segment'll be a piece of piss."

"As you wish, my love." Viktor chuckled. He took the phone back and stopped the recording, figuring he'd start it up again when they got to the river. 

The wedding had been classy and beautiful, but Viktor couldn't help feeling the entire time as though something was missing. That feeling was no longer there now, though, and he wondered as he wrapped an arm around Yuri and lead him back to the reception, if it would be too much to ask the universe that some random wildlife showed up at their future wedding, too.

Weddings were nice, if a bit stressful and stuffy, but _this_?

This was where he and Yuri really belonged.


End file.
